Page 61 of Escape Velocity
“It’s an elective. I was thinking about doing it as a minor since I know it’ll boost my GPA.”
Mason clenches his mug harder at how convincing he sounds. It’s an airtight alibi for taking classes. They know he’s good at physics, and that he needs a good GPA, so whywould they stop him from taking classes that only lead to more prestige and success?
“Hmm,” his mother says, clearly wanting to say something but since he planned out his lie so well, she has no place to argue, and Mason sips his coffee in triumph.
“Well, I guess it’s time to start cleaning the house since Elena and Aunt Josie will be here in the afternoon,” his father says as he gathers their dishes and stalks to the kitchen.
“Is anyone else coming for dinner?” Mason asks, hoping to hear the least amount of people.
“Just Elena’s new boyfriend… I forget his name, but he’s coming along. Apparently, he goes to Montgomery too,” his mom says.
She gets up as well, hurrying around the kitchen, the usual thing she does before she goes into full panic mode.
“I have some reading to do, but call me down if you need my help for anything,” Mason says as he gets up from the table.
“Alright, honey,” his mom says and goes into cleaning mode as she whips out the vacuum from one of the kitchen cupboards.
Mason nods and pads back up the stairs and into his room, closing it behind him.
He thinks about Callum and if his parents are telling him the same things. He wonders if football is what he wants to do or if he still dreams of another life like they did as kids.
Mason crashes into his desk chair, opens up his mechanics textbook and flips through it, landing on one of the problem set pages. He turns on his desk lamp and takes one look out of the window at the familiar towering oak tree.
Its leaves have turned scarlet. On the precipice of change. Just like him.
He cracks his neck and gets to work on his problems. At least there is one thing he can control, and that is his ability to solve physics problems.
“So, Mason. Have you already become the chief editor of your school paper?”
Mason sighs and takes a sip of his apple cider as he mulls over his answer. If he says yes, it’s a lie, and his mother would likely appreciate the lie. She wants to keep up appearances for everyone too, and she wouldn’t mind it if he did. But if he told the truth, it would only make him look bad.
It was a lose-lose situation. There’s no way he can win against them.
“Not yet, but my section of the paper is the most popular,” he says to his Aunt Josie.
“Well, hopefully you’ll get it soon. If you want to follow in your Mom’s footsteps, you’ll have to climb up that ladder faster,” Josie says, in a tone that implies that she’s gloating and disappointed at the same time.
Mason hums and takes a handful of chips from one of the bowls.
“When are Elena and her boyfriend showing up?” his mom asks, likely trying to change the subject.
“They said they’ll be here in five minutes. She got caught in some traffic on her way back from picking her boyfriend up from Montgomery,” Aunt Josie says as she takes a long gulp of wine.
Mason keeps looking at the door, hoping for Elena towalk in sooner. Even if he doesn’t know who her boyfriend is, her presence always cuts through the tension that he felt around his other family members.
“I’m sure your parents are proud of you,” Aunt Josie says.
“I think they are,” Mason responds.
It’s a passive aggressive response, hoping that they would actually be forced to say they were proud.
They never were. There was always something better he could accomplish. He could replace his mom atThe Meridian Tribuneand publish a bestselling book, and they would still find something wrong.
“We are,” his father says from the kitchen.
Mason takes an unconvincing sip of his cider.
“Well, you’ll have to do better and make them even more proud,” Josie says, nodding.
